Every year from February through April, the Splash Education Center at Mather Field welcomes more than 70 classes of 4th and 5th graders on their vernal pool field trips. These field trips give students the chance to get up-close-and-personal with the animals and plants they've been studying in the Splash curriculum, Life in Our Watershed: Investigating Vernal Pools.
You don't have to be a student to participate in Splash programs! Several times throughout the year, we open our doors and invite the public to learn with us as we explore the amazing natural spaces that surround us.
Sacramento Splash offers two standards-based, environmental science programs for teachers of grades 4-12. We also offer classroom presentations for grades 3-6. For more information about Splash's school programs, please click on the links below.
Over 200 plant species grow in vernal pools. Half of these are rarely found outside this unique habitat. A single pool typically supports only 15 to 20 species in an unpredictable array of combinations. In that way, vernal pools are a lot like snowflakes – botanically speaking, no two are alike.
Although most vernal pool animals are small, their complex food webs sustain many larger species of birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. Most of the critters in vernal pools are native to California and many survive only in vernal pools. We know little about them and less than half have been named.
The outdoor portion of the field trip is where all of the lessons and activities in the elementary curriculum are brought together for the students. It’s like multiple pieces of an ecological puzzle being put together by the students to create a big picture of what they’ve been studying.
When students enter the Splash Education Center, they enter a world of fun, hands-on science investigation that builds on the knowledge they’ve acquired in the classroom through the curriculum materials and activities. After a brief introduction, the students split into three groups. Each group follows its guide through the three learning stations in the Center.
Splash Club is open to all kids age 8 - 14 who live in Sacramento County or the City of West Sacramento. There is no obligation or cost to join and Splash will never share your information with any third parties.
You want your child to have all the advantages in life. Make sure they receive the benefits of outdoor education and exploration by signing them up for the Splash Club.
